Live bait carrier



Nov. 30, 1965 o. L. SHIRLEY, SR 3,220,140

LIVE BAIT CARRIER Filed April 23. 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oliver L. Shirley, Sr.

INVENTOR.

Nov. 30, 1965 o. L. SHIRLEY, SR 3,220,140

LIVE BAIT CARRIER Filed April 23, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

35 *7, ig, D

Oliver L. Shir/e y, 5r. INVENTOR.

1 BY WW 15m United States Patent 3,220,140 LIVE BAIT CARRIER Oliver L. Shirley, Sr., 204 9th St., Levelland, Tex. Filed Apr. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 275,083 2 Claims. (Cl. 43-55) This invention relates to a live bait well for fish and more particularly to a bait well adapted to be attached to a boat including means to circulate water within the well when the boat is moving or isstationary.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel bait well assembly which may be removably attached to the rear of a motor boat or the like which will automatically circulate water within the well when said boat is moving, and will also provide water circulation when the boat is stationary.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel water jet device for feeding water to a live bait well.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel perforated live bait well having a jet water circulation device which operates in response to forward movement of the boat to feed water to the well.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the bait well assembly comprising the present invention in position on the boat;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view partially broken away of the bait well assembly illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the mounting portion of the bait well assembly comprising the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view partially broken away taken substantially on the plane of the line 55 'of FIGURE 4.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the reference numeral refers generally to the bait well assembly comprising the present invention. The assembly 10 includes a I-shaped channel supporting member 12 which mounts over the rear transom 14 of the boat as shown in FIGURES land 3. The support member 12 has a transverse member 16 integral therewith to provide stability for the assembly when mounted on a transom. U-shaped bracket members 18 and 20 are spaced along the support member 12 at 22 and 24 and fastened thereto by conventional fastening means such as by welding. The bracket 20 has a transverse flange 26 integrally formed with the body 28 of the bracket 20 and perpendicular thereto at the bottom thereof. Also included in brackets 18 and 20 are bolt-receiving holes 30 and 32.

Reference numeral 34 refers generally to the clamping device mounted 'on the support 12 for clamping the support 12 fixedly to transoms such as 14. The clamping device 34 includes a pressure plate 36 which has a flat surface 38 for contacting the inner transom wall. The pressure plate 36 has first and second parallel wings 40 and 42 integral therewith and extending toward the support 12. Wings 40 and 42 include bolt receiving holes 44 for receiving the bolt 46, thereby rotatably mounting the pressure plate 36 on the support 12. A wing screw 48 is threadably mounted through threaded hole 50 in support 12 and has a head 52 including a slidable handle 54 therein. It may be seen that mounting the support 12 is accomplished by placing the upper J- portion of the support over the transom 14 and then tightening screw 48 against the pressure plate 36 thereby forcing the pressure plate 36 against the transom 14.

A receptacle 56 of generally cylindrical configuration, having an open top 58, rearwardly directed opening 60 and forwardly directed closed portion 62 is mounted in brackets 18 and 20, resting upon the flange 26 and secured to the brackets by bolts 64 and 66 through holes 30 and 32. The opening 60 may be of any size considered practical, so long as when the boat is stationary the water level rises above the bottom of the opening.

A perforated bait container 68 is removably disposed within the receptacle 56. The container 68 has perforations 70 in a wall area thereof, the container being oriented so that the perforated area is aligned with the opening 60 in the receptacle 56. The bait container 68 has a perforated lid 72 mounted by hinge 74 over an opening in the top of the container. This lid has perforations 76 therein, and a handle 78 mounted thereon to enable the lid to be lifted upwardly. The handle 78 may be of any conventional construction.

A water circulation pipe 80 is attached to the support 12 at 82. The pipe 80 has a first vertical portion 84, a second horizontal portion 86 overlying the open top 58 of receptacle 56, and a second horizontal portion 88 which normally will be disposed below the surface of the water in the direction of movement of the boat. The portion 86 has an opening 90 therein and the portion 88 has an opening 92 therein. It may thus be seen that movement of the boat in the direction shown by the arrow 94 causes water to be forced into opening 92, through the pipe 80, out the end 90 and onto the perforated lid 72 of container 58. Thus water may be circulated in the bait container 68 when the boat is moving forwardly by water flowing through the perforation 76 into the container and then out from the container through the perforations 70. Further, when the boat is setting still in the water, the receptacle 56 is so disposed on the support 12 that the water line will reach to a depth so that water will enter perforations 70 of the container 68 in order to provide circulation. When the boat is moving in a forward direction, water from the water circulation pipe 80 will not fall directly into the container 68 but will fall upon the lid 72 and through perforations 76 thereby eliminating direct discharge of the water onto the live bait contained within the container so as not to harm the bait.

Reference numeral 92 refers generally to a retainer assembly which is mounted on support 12 as for example by weld 94. The assembly 92 includes a stem 96, a first washer 98 fixed to the stem as for example by a weld 100, a spring 102 overlying the stem 96 and positioned against the washer 98. A second washer 104 is mounted on the stem 96 adjacent the top portion of the spring 102. A rotating finger 106 is mounted on the stem 96 over the washer 104, and a top washer is mounted on the stem 96 over the finger 106. The spring 102 is compressed downwardly and held in such compressed position by a retaining top 108 fixedly attached to the stem 96. It thus may be seen by referring to FIGURES 1 and 4 that the finger 106 may be rotated out of position to remove the receptacle 56, and when the receptacle 56 is located in the brackets 18 and 20 the finger may be rotated into position over the open top 58 of the receptacle thereby contributing to the mounting of said receptacle on the support 12.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be restored to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A live bait retaining device comprising a receptacle, bracket means attached to said receptacle and adapted to be rigidly secured to a boat at its forward end, a perforated bait container removably disposed in said receptacle, said receptacle having an open top and a rearwardly directed opening and a forwardly directed closed portion spaced below the open top, and a water circulating pipe carried by said bracket means and including an upper end overlying the open top of the receptacle and a lower end opening and extending forwardly in the direction of movement of the boat, the lower end of the .pipe adapted to extend below the water level for discharge of water into the open top of the receptacle for circulation through the receptacle and container when the boat moves forwardly, said opening in the receptacle being enlarged to expose a material portion of the perforated container to provide for water circulation through the live bait container by use of the water circulation pipe during movement of the boat and by entry of water 4 therethrough when the boat is setting still, said receptacle being disposed below the water line to at least a depth so that water will enter the perforations of the container through said enlarged opening when the boat is still.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein said perforated bait container includes a hingedly mounted perforated lid disposed below the open top of the receptacle whereby water discharged from the upper end of the water circulating pipe will fall onto the perforated lid thereby eliminating direct discharge 'of water onto bait in the perforated container.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 300,137 6/1884 Saxe 43--55 506,017 10/1893 Ruprecht 4356 953,540 3/1910 Montgomery 4356 1,683,169 9/1928 De Noya. 23 84,398 9/ 1945 Raven. 2,560,054 7/1951 Wells 4355 2,572,306 10/ 1951 Brewton 24--248 X 3,039,224- 6/ 1962 Hartzog 4356 ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LIVE BAIT RETAINING DEVICE COMPRISING A RECEPTACLE, BRACKET MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID RECEPTACLE AND ADAPTED TO BE RIGIDLY SECURED TO A BOAT AT ITS FORWARD END, A PERFORATED BAIT CONTAINER REMOVABLY DISPOSED IN SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING AN OPEN TOP AND A REARWARDLY DIRECTED OPENING AND A FORWARDLY DIRECTED CLOSED PORTION SPACED BELOW THE OPEN TOP, AND A WATER CIRCULATING PIPE CARRIED BY SAID BRACKET MEANS AND INCLUDING AN UPPER END OVERLYING THE OPEN TOP OF THE RECEPTACLE AND A LOWER END OPENING AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE BOAT, THE LOWER END OF THE PIPE ADAPTED TO EXTEND BELOW THE WATER LEVEL FOR DISCHARGE OF WATER INTO THE OPEN TOP OF THE RECEPTACLE FOR CIRCULATION THROUGH THE RECEPTACLE AND CONTAINER WHEN THE BOAT MOVES FORWARDLY, SAID OPENING IN THE RECEPTACLE BEING ENLARGED TO EXPOSE A MATERIAL PORTION OF THE PERFORATED CONTAINER TO PROVIDE FOR WATER CIRCULATION THROUGH THE LIVE BAIT CONTAINER BY USE OF THE WATER CIRCULATION PIPE DURING MOVEMENT OF THE BOAT AND BY ENTRY OF WATER THERETHROUGH WHEN THE BOAT IS SETTING STILL, SAID RECEPTACLE ABEING DISPOSED BELOW THE WATER LINE TO AT LEAST A DEPTH SO THAT WATER WILL ENTER THE PERFORATIONS OF THE CONTAINER THROUGH SAID ENLARGED OPENING WHEN THE BOAT IS STILL. 